iPod Nano

heralds the arrival of spring but it is also the time Apple announces its annual iPod refresh and this year was no different.

Chief executive officer Steve Jobs, in his first public appearance since undergoing a liver transplant during a six-month leave of absence, took to the stage for the announcement and received a not-unexpected standing ovation.

But apart from the good news on Jobs's improving health, there was new products to reveal, including an all-new iPod Nano with an integrated video camera and FM radio, updated iPod Touch and iPod Shuffle and a brand new version of the popular music application iTunes.

Outwardly the new Nano looks similar to its predecessor except it now has a polished anodised aluminium finish. The screen is also slightly larger 5.6cm up from 5cm.

But glance at the back of the iPod and you will find something never seen before on an iPod - a video camera.
Its small dimensions mean the iPod Nano is easy to carry and now, apart from playing music and videos, it can also capture videos.

Video is recorded at a VGA resolution of 640 x 480 and at 30 frames per second. It is also possible to add 15 special effects including sepia, black and white, film grain, motion blur and mirror.

And sharing those videos is a snap once the Nano is docked with a PC. Mac users can upload the videos directly via iPhoto to a blog or Facebook. The videos are also easy to send up to the most popular video sharing site of all - YouTube.

One criticism of the iPod range has been the lack of a built-in FM tuner which has been a common feature on rival MP3 players and mobile phones. Well that shortcoming can now be scratched from the list. Apple has added an FM radio to the Nano and thrown in a few more cool features as well.

The first is Live Pause which, as its name suggests, allows the listener to put the brakes on during a broadcast and resume exactly where they left off.

It is also possible to rewind the broadcast for up to 15 minutes and then fast forward to get back to the live broadcast.

And trying to find out the name of that song you just heard is also easier as the Nano can now keep a list of songs played on its memory.

Runners and gym users will find the iPod Nano's small size convenient. When used with the Nike+iPod Sport Kit it will keep track of your fitness but also doubles as a pedometer using the built-in accelerometer to keep track of the number of steps taken per day.

The iPod Nano is priced at $199 (8GB) or $249 (16GB).